Rocket Recap: Cygnus NG-10 Reaches the ISS

One week ago (November 19, 2018) Northrop Grumman's Cygnus pressurized cargo freighter arrived at and berthed with the International Space Station. The rocket had launched two days prior, on November 17, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia. This was the ninth launch of Antares from Virginia, and the first overseen by the new Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, a division formed by NG's acquisition of Orbital ATK earlier this year.

Northrop Grumman's debut Antares mission CRS NG-10 is targeting a launch to the International Space Station no earlier than 4:49am EST, November 15, 2018. Antares will deliver a fully loaded Cygnus cargo freighter on orbit roughly two days after launch. The cargo onboard Cygnus contains the following: 2606 lbs of crew supplies, 2253 lbs of science investigations, 64 lbs of spacewalk material 2183 lbs of vehicle hardware and 253 lbs of computer resources. Here's a look at a few of the experiments being carried to the International Space Station.

As we disembark the buses we hear “Check item 347,” and remember that the OA-9 launch team has been on the job since 10:00 pm, 5 hours earlier than us. The clouds are broken and allow us glimpses of stars, but we are also able to see clouds lighting up, and an occasional flash from a storm just offshore.

Resupply mission OA-9 will carry a mix of cargo weighing 3,350 Kg (7,385 lbs.) plus an array of Cube SATS. This version of the Cygnus is the Enhanced Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM) with an empty weight of 3,375 Kg, standing 639 cm tall (20 ft) and controlled with 32 thrusters. After delivering supplies it will be reloaded with approximately 3,200 Kg of disposal cargo before departing the ISS. The typical resupply mission carries crew provisions, food, scientific experiments, EVA supplies and vehicle hardware. So what's in the OA-9 Cygnus?

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